Can opener



iriatented Feb.v '7, i928.

airain stares PATENT OFFICE. f

JOHN CHAFN, F PORT NASHNG-TON, NEV YORK, ASSGNOB T CHAPN PRODUCTSCORFORATIGN, 02E' NEVI YORK, N. Y., .A CORPORATION OF `NEW YORK.

CAN OPENER. l

Application filed September 21, 1922, Serial No. 589,578. Renewed July8,1926.

rhis invention reiates to certain new and useful improvements in canopeners and has j'iarticular reference to that type ot can openers oableot' gripping the end oi a can and opening or cutting the saine withouttie l necessity oit actually gripping the can by the hands of the userof the device.

rhe prin'iary object of the invention resides in the provision of a canopener in the i'oriii of a pair of pivoted lever arms that are struckfrom a. blank of sheet metal and so bent and termed to provide gripping`means for a rim or bead at one end or a can during the cutting operationon the end wall ot the can.

The invention further provides in a can opener ot the type above setforth, wherein the saine is struck from sheet metal, the pr-ovision oi.1gripping jaws associated with one ot the `haiiflle levers that arestruck out and bent into proper position from a sheet metal blank,reinforcing bent flanges or lugs Ybeing provided thereon while a cutterblade is removably anchored to the other' handle lever.

lilith the above general objects in View and others that will appear thenature of the invention is better understood, the saine consists ci thenovel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed. j

ln the drawing, wherein like reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figur 1 is a top plan view of a can opener constructed in accordancewith the present invention, the saine being illustrated as operativelypositioned upon a can,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line HMH of Fig. 1showing the cutter blades anchored to one of the handle levers and theguide stud pin positioned outwardly thereof, j

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line lll-Hl o1c Fig.1 showing the claniping jaws carried by the other handle lever forgripping the bead of the end wall of a can,

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line lV-V of Fig. 1 showingthe spacing rivets for the side walls ot' one of the handle levers andthe guide pin associated with said rivets to prevent escape thereof,

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken Figure 8 is a perspective viewot the inner, section or the handle gripping lever showing thecooperating gripping jaw and theI re# intorcing spacing flange for theside walls ot the handle section. v

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, there isillustrated a can opener embodying a pair or' handle levers 1 and 2pivoted together at adjacent ends by the rivet 3 as clearly showniinFig. 1.

r)Ehe can opener being constructed of sheet metal, the handle section 1is formed troni a blank bent to provide a substantially tubular grippingend 4, the other end thereof einbodying spaced parallel side walls 5that are maintained in spaced relationby the rivets (i shown moreclearly in Figs. 1 and 4. A guide pin 7 depends from. one of the sidewalls 5 and is anchored to sla-id side walls by the shank .S carried bysaid pin, the end of the pin 7 adjacent the side wall 5 overlapping theadjacent end of the connecting rivet 6, while the end of the shank 8extend ing through the opposite side wall 5 of the handle sectionl isswaged over the adjacent end of the connecting rivet 8 for perinancntlyanchoring the saine in positiony and properly bracing and spacing theside walls 5 of the handle section.

ifi cutter blade 9 is associated with the side walls 5 ot the handleVsection 1, said blade carrying a shank 1Q that extends through openingsin the side walls 5, a wedge pin 11 extending through the blade shankinwardly of the adjacent wall 5 for anchoring the cutter blade in thehandle section, while the upper end of the blade shank 10 is shoulderedas at 12 for wedgingly mountinglthe cutter blade and also bracing theside wa The handle lever 2 is formed of inner and outer sections 13 and14 that are pivoted together by the pin 15, the outer section 14constituting the gripping end that correspends to the portion 4 of thehandle lever l, While the pivoted end of the outer section 14 is bent toprovidefparallel side walls 16 shown more clearly in Figs. 6 to 8. Oneside Wall 16 of the handle section 14 carries a depending flangevconstituting a gripping jaw 17. The inner sectiony 13 of the handlelever 2 is bent to provide spaced sidewalls- 18, one of said side wallscarrying a depending flange forming grippingjaw 19 `that cooperates withthe jaw 1r, while the other Wall 18v of the section' 13 carries anangularlyA bent flange 2O engaging the opposite wall for'vproperlyspacing and bracing the 7 section walls 18. rlhe adjacent ends of thesections 13 and 14 carry ear projections 13 and 14a respectively, saidear projections being apertured for the reception of the pivot pin 15 asshown in Fig. 1. rlhe pivotal connection 3 between the handle sections 1and 2 embodies apertured ear extensions 1a and 2EL carried by the handlelevers 1 and 2 re-l spectively that receiveV the pivot pin 3, whileadjacent edges of the walls and 18 are notched as at 21 to form anopening when the handle levers 1 and 2 are closed for.

' can, Vthe guide pin is positioned'adjacent the outer wall thereof.Upon gripping the handle levers 1 and 2, the sections 13 and 14 of the4handle lever 2 are moved on their pivotal connection -for closing thejaws 17 and 19 to grip thev can bead B, and continued movement of thehandle levers 1 and 2 toward each other will cause the cutter blade 9 tomove through an arcuate path over the end wall of the can adjacent thebead B for opening the can. In actual practice, it frequently happensthat the handle lever l'practically remains stationary lwhile the handlelever 2 gripping the bead of the can will mov-e the can relative tothecutter blade 9, the device operating for cutting a short incision intheend wall of the can,

' the handle lever Qrbeing then shifted to its fullest open position foragain gripping the can bead for a similar operation.

lhile there is herein shown and described -the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minorchanges may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopethereof as claimed.

What l claim is Y 1. A. can opener comprisinga lever formed of sheetmetal having a substantially vtubular handle'portion merging intoparallel sid-e Walls7 a' cutting knife passing through the parallel sidewalls, means for securing the cutting knife in place, a guide pinmounted in the sidewalls adjacent the cutting knife, a cooperatingleverpivotally connected to the lirst'mentioned lever and consisting ofinner and outer sections each formed of sheet metal, the .outer sectionhaving a tubular handlel portion terminating in parallel side walls andwith a flange projecting laterally from one of the walls, the innersection having parallel side walls with a cooperating flange projectingfrom the walls, means for pivotally connecting' the two sections'together7 and means foil pivotally connecting the two levers together.

2. A can opener comprising coopera-ting levers pivotally connected atone end. the levers consisting of sheet metal stainpings bent intosubstantially U-shapedv form and having the open sides facing oneanother, a cutting knife mountedin one of the levers, cooperatinggripping flanges form-ed integrallj7 with the second lever, the secondlever having cooperating inner and outer pivotcd sections to permitmovement of the gripping` flanges toward and from one another.

y In testimony whereof .l afliX my signature.

JOHN J. CHAPIN.

